Garden Planning For 2017: Seed Companies

I'm preparing for spring, one of the happiest things a person can do.  Mondays in November I'll post some of my strategies for dreaming of next year's garden in advance.  

I'm thinking of ordering from just a few seed companies for 2017.  I'm looking for nice varieties of vegetables, herbs and flowers.  Most companies don't have their catalogs for 2017 ready yet, but I'll be watching for them.

I'm not certain if I'll make a preliminary list of things I know I want to grow, then look at these companies catalogs to see who has the most appealing selection and price, or do what I usually do and just look through their catalog making a wish list then paring it down.

Renee's Garden

Renee's has new offerings every season which are often stunning, even if the item is a lowly vegetable.  She also specializes in smaller varieties which can be grown in containers, something I really enjoy more every year.  There are even sets of seeds on themes, individual packets in a larger packet.   As you can see on her page there is also a Cookbook.

It's now online only with no physical catalog.  There are updates about new plants and seeds on everyone's favorite Twitter feed      https://twitter.com/reneesgarden


Park Seed

I actually haven't ordered from Park for awhile, but they have a huge variety of vegetable and herb seeds in particular that I'm going to peruse for 2017.   They have also always had some of the best seed starting supplies anywhere.

Get a look at some of their featured items on Twitter:    https://twitter.com/ParkSeed


Nichols Garden Nursery Herbs and Rare Seeds

I love growing herbs, and have been trying to use them as well in cooking.   What I need to find is a list of the most common herbs used in cooking and make sure I grow those.  I also like the idea of growing a tea garden, and making tea with nice fresh herbs from my garden.  I think Nichols can help me with these ideas.

Up to date information on their offerings and lots of recipes on Twitter:   https://twitter.com/NicholsGarden

They have some odd ads in their Twitter Feed, I'm not sure what that's about.


Stokes Seeds

The Canadian seed company made a greater effort to appeal to the home gardener last year with a beautiful catalog featuring the best flowers, vegetables and herbs for home gardens from their vast seed list.  They've also been featuring garden tools and ornaments that are useful and fun.

Alas no Twitter page for them that I see.